Crops damaged by rains and floods: country may miss cotton 2015-16 output target

Pakistan is likely to miss cotton production target of 15.49 million bales set for the current season (2015-16) after heavy rains and floods have damaged the crops, official sources revealed to Business Recorder. According to the initial estimates, heavy rains and floods destroyed standing cotton crops over 1,50,000 acres in Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahimyar Khan and Muzaffargarh which accounts for major share in cotton production. The floods damaged about 100,000 bales in these districts according to the initial statistics, the official added.
The floods now entered Sindh province and would also destroy crops there, but it is too early to figure out the losses. The floods would hit Tharparkar, Hyderabad, Badin, Dadu, Tando Muhammad Khan and Thatta districts which are being considered the rich cotton growers' areas.
The final data of the losses would be available only after receding of the standing water in the fields and officials of the food departments in collaboration with revenue departments would assess the volume of actual losses in respective provinces, the official added.
The country has already missed cotton sowing target by about 10 percent due to unprecedented rains during the early cotton sowing season. Due to low cotton price, the wheat harvest was prolonged and resultantly a significant decline in cotton sowing was registered; besides the heatwave caused sever flowers shedding in cotton crops areas.
The government has set cotton target for the current season (2015-16) at 15.49 million bales against the revised target of 13.48 million bales for (2014-15) from 7.7 million acres. Punjab was projected to produce 10.5 million bales from 6 million acres; however it missed the sowing target and remained at 5.6 million acres registering a decline of about 6 percent. After the current monsoon and floods the further decline will be reported in the production. Sindh was projected to produce 4.4 million bales from 1.6 million acres. The sowing remained at 1.4 million acres and missed the target by 10 percent. Balochistan was projected to produce 0.59 million bales from 0.1 million acres and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0.00152 million bales from 0.001 million acres but they also missed the sowing targets.
Representative from National Meteorological Department had apprised the last meeting of the Cotton Crops Assessment Committee that cotton season would receive normal rainfall. Further low spell of rains was predicted in April in the Punjab province which may result in soil crust problem. However, the country received unprecedented rainfall in the period under review which negatively affected cotton crop. Punjab which produces about 70 percent of the total cotton has been hit hard by the recent rains and floods.